Introduction

While thinking about animals we first of all remember domestic animals, that live with people. Many people keep pets and the most popular are: cats and dogs, but people also can keep canaries, parrots, mice, goldfish and hamsters. Farm animals include: rabbits, sheep, cows, pigs, horses, chicken, goats. In a zoo or in the wild we can find these wild animals: a tiger, lion, bear, leopard, camel, gorilla, elephant, monkey, zebra, giraffe, etc. Some common insects are: a bee, ant, mosquito, butterfly, fly, spider. And the most common birds are: an eagle, sparrow, hawk, goose, duck, swan. Some animals swim (whales, sharks), some move along the ground (snakes, snails).

5.1. Read names of the animals in the box and answer the questions.

squirrel	lizard	bear	eagle	dolphin
cockroach	deer	whale	wolf	crow
crocodile	parrot	snake	scorpion	rat

1. Which of these animals do you like? Why?

2. Are you scared of any of these animals? Why?

3. Which animals might you:

● see lying on a rock?

● see circling in the sky?

● see running across a road?

● see swimming and jumping around off the coast?

● see disappearing into long grass?

● hear making a dreadful noise?

● hear in the bushes?

● hear in the distance?

● find crawling around a dirty kitchen?

● find hiding in your shoe?

● find sitting in a tree?

5.2. Choose the word which best matches the description.

1. A duck / swan is a large white water bird with a long neck.

2. A goat / sheep is a four-legged animal with horns, good at climbing.

3. A crab / frog is a sea animal with a shell and five pairs of legs.

4. A butterfly / bee is an insect with large, beautifully coloured wings.

5. A lizard / snake is a small reptile with four legs and a long tail.

6 A fly / mosquito is a small flying insect which drinks blood from the skin.

7. A camel / giraffe is an animal with long legs and neck and orange skin.

8. A mouse / rabbit is a small long-eared animal that lives in a hole.

9. A bat / spider is an eight-legged creature which catches insects.

10. A kitten / puppy is a young animal which barks, often a pet.

5.3. Start each sentence with a suitable animal from the Introduction.

1. …….. can fly at a great height.

2. …….. can swim very long distances.

3. …….. can understand lots of human commands.

4. …….. can run very fast.

5. …….. can travel through the desert for long distances without water.

6. …….. can be 30 metres in length.

7. …….. can eat leaves from tall trees.

8. …….. change their skin several times a year.

9. …….. can pick things up with their trunk.

10. …….. provide us with wool.

5.4. Match the animals (A) with their maximum speeds (B).

A B

1. lion a) 64 kph

2. rabbit b) 56 kph

3. shark c) 270 kph

4. spider d) 0.05 kph

5. pig e) 40 kph

6. elephant f) 1.88 kph

7. snail g) 80 kph

8. golden eagle h) 18 kph

9. cheetah i) 300 kph

5.5. Read the definitions of the following animal groups.

herbivores – animals eating plants

carnivores – animals eating meat

omnivores – animals eating both plants and meat

mammals – animals that give birth to live babies and feed their young on milk

reptiles – cold-blooded animals that have skin covered with scales

amphibians – animals that live both on land and water

insects – small creatures that have six legs, and sometimes wings

fish – an animal that lives in water, and uses its fins and tail to swim

birds – creatures with wings and feathers that can usually fly

predators – animals that kill and eat other animals

cats – animals with soft fur, a long thin tail, and whiskers

► Match each animal group it belongs to. Some animals can be used more than once.

Groups: herbivores, insects, mammals, cats, reptiles, fish, birds, carnivores, omnivores, amphibians, predators

Creatures: crocodile, lion, tiger, bear, hawk, frog, goldfish, panther, wolf, monkey, snake, sparrow, wasp, whale, lizard, fly, jaguar, tortoise, pigeon, cow, fox, beetle, eagle, puma, squirrel, goat, sheep, salmon.

5.6. Fill in the gaps with the words from the box. Use a dictionary if necessary.

habitat / species / fur / amphibians / prowled / captivity / fauna / flora

1. …….. is the natural home of a plant or animal.

2. A group of plants or animals of the same kind is called a …….. .

3. Moved around quietly, trying not to be seen means …….... .

4. Animals that are able to live both on land and in water are called …….. .

5. The hair that grows thickly over the bodies of some types of animal is …... .

6. When wild animals live in …... they are kept in a place such as a park or zoo.

7. All the animals living in a particular area are …….. .

8. All the plants growing in a particular area are …….. .

5.7. Match the two parts of the sentences.

1. Many zoos try to breed pandas so that	a) the world’s largest living mammal.
2. Some animals like snakes and hedgehogs spend the winter months in a deep sleep,	b) now whale-watching is the most popular attraction among tourists.
3. Many mammals like monkeys are very good parents and	c) the pandas born in the zoos can be returned to the wild.
4. The colours of bird’s eggs make them hard to see and	d) in the Far East it is in danger of extinction.
5. Africa has lost 99% of its black rhinos in the past twenty years,	e) help to protect them from predators.
6. In Africa, the most important species in danger is the elephant,	f) they put a lot of effort into rearing their young.
7. In 1972 Mexico created the world’s first whale sanctuary on the west coast and	g) in 1998 there were only 11 rhinos left in Kenya.
8. Poachers still hunt the tiger illegally and	h) in which their body functions shut down to a minimum.

5.8. Find the odd word out.

1. cow bull donkey hippopotamus

2. penguin duck pike hawk

3. rat caterpillar rabbit squirrel

4. pike salmon mole whitefish

5. crocodile lizard iguana grasshopper

5.9. Match the animals from the list below with the places they can live.

Europe	Africa	Western Siberia

bear / fox / wolf / lion / cheetah / leopard / tiger / zebra / giraffe / deer / goose / duck / goat / pig / sheep / donkey / bull / squirrel / seal / hare / jaguar / lynx / otter / sable / ladybird / rabbit / butterfly / ant / mosquito / bee / cockroach / fly / wasp

5.10. Match the animals (A) with their young (B).

A B

1. sheep a) piglet

2. lion b) lamb

3. dog c) puppy

4. cow d) kitten

5. hen e) chick

6. duck f) goal

7. cat g) cub

8. horse h) calf

9. pig i) duckling

5.11. Choose the correct word.